System and method embodiments are provided for traffic engineering (TE) in software defined networking (SDN). The embodiments enable a complete end-to-end TE solution between a user equipment (UE) and a source/destination across a radio access network (RAN). In an embodiment, a method in a network component for TE in a SDN includes receiving TE information from a first core network component in a core network, a RAN component, wherein the RAN is communicably coupled to the core network, wherein the TE information includes a TE objective; and determining a TE decision between at least one UE and a second core network component in the core network according to the TE information and the TE objective, wherein the TE decision comprises information for at least one end-to-end path solution between the at least one UE and the second core network wherein the path traverses the core network and the RAN.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method comprising: obtaining traffic information from a first core network component in a core network and a radio access network (RAN) component in a RAN, wherein the RAN component is communicatively coupled to the core network, and wherein the traffic information includes first traffic information about the core network from the first core network component and second traffic information about the RAN from the RAN component; and determining a traffic decision between a user equipment (UE) and a second core network component in the core network according to the traffic information, the traffic decision comprising information for at least one path through at least one of the second core network component or the RAN, wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of: a quality of experience (QoE) requirement and a QoE feedback, or a quality of service (QoS) requirement and a QoS feedback, and wherein the determining the traffic decision includes: (a) determining that the QoE feedback in a logical link is higher than the QoE requirement, or that the QoS feedback in the logical link is higher than the QoS requirement, and (b) determining the traffic decision based on a result of the determining (a).
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second traffic information about the RAN comprises spectral efficiency (SE) values over radio links of the RAN.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: performing the traffic decision between the UE and the second core network component in response to a triggering event.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of a network topology change, a network parameter change, a service requirement change, a service QoE performance degradation event, or a QoS performance degradation event.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the network parameter change comprises at least one of a radio resource availability change, a link capacity change, a buffer size change, an operating cost change, or a link SE change, and wherein the service requirement change comprises at least one of a source addition, destination addition, a source removal, a destination removal, a logical link QoE requirement change, or a logical link QoS quality of service requirement change.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of a QoE requirement between a source and a destination, or a QoS quality of service requirement between the source and the destination.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of a rate requirement or a delay requirement.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic information comprises network parameters, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of link capacity, buffer size, radio resources at RAN nodes, per node operating cost, or per link operating cost.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic information includes third information about the UE.
10. The method of claim 1 , the determining the traffic decision further comprising: reducing a rate requirement for the logical link associated with the QoE requirement or the QoS requirement; and determining the traffic decision according to the reduced rate requirement.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the traffic information is obtained by a first function of the first core network component, and wherein the method further comprises: determining, by the first function of the first core network component, information based on the traffic information; and transmitting, by the first function of the first core network component, the information to a second function of the second core network component, wherein the traffic decision is determined by the second function according to the information received from the first function.
12. An apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the one or more processors, the programming including instructions to: obtain traffic information from a first core network component in a core network and a radio access network (RAN) component, wherein the RAN component is communicatively coupled to the core network, and wherein the traffic information includes first traffic information about the core network from the first core network component and second traffic information about the RAN from the RAN component; and determine a traffic decision between a user equipment (UE) and a second core network component in the core network according to the traffic information, the traffic decision comprising information for at least one path through at least one of the second core network component or the RAN, wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of: a quality of experience (QoE) requirement and a QoE feedback, or a quality of service (QoS) requirement and a QoS feedback, and wherein the instructions to determine the traffic decision include instructions to perform operations of: (a) determining that the QoE feedback in a logical link is higher than the QoE requirement, or that the QoS feedback in the logical link is higher than the QoS requirement, and (b) determining the traffic decision based on a result of the determining (a).
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the second traffic information about the RAN comprises spectral efficiency (SE) values over radio links of the RAN.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , the programming further including instructions to: perform the traffic decision between the UE and the second core network component in response to a triggering event.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of a network topology change, a network parameter change, a service requirement change, a service QoE requirement performance degradation event, or a QoS quality of service requirement performance degradation event.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the network parameter change comprises at least one of a radio resource availability change, a link capacity change, a buffer size change, an operating cost change, or a link SE change.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the service requirement change comprises at least one of a source addition, destination addition, a source removal, a destination removal, a logical link QoE requirement change, or a logical link QoS requirement change.
18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of a QoE requirement between a source and a destination, or a QoS requirement between the source and the destination.
19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of a rate requirement or a delay requirement.
20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the traffic information comprises network parameters, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of link capacity, buffer size, radio resources at RAN nodes, per node operating cost, or per link operating cost.
21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more apparatuses, cause the one or more apparatuses to perform operations, the operations comprising: obtaining traffic information from a first core network component in a core network and a radio access network (RAN) component, wherein the RAN component is communicatively coupled to the core network, and wherein the traffic information includes first traffic information about the core network from the first core network component and second traffic information about the RAN from the RAN component; and determining a traffic decision between a user equipment (UE) and a second core network component in the core network according to the traffic information, the traffic decision comprising information for at least one path through at least one of the second core network component or the RAN, wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of: a quality of experience (QoE) requirement and a QoE feedback, or a quality of service (QoS) requirement and a QoS feedback, and wherein the determining the traffic decision includes: (a) determining that the QoE feedback in a logical link is higher than the QoE requirement, or that the QoS feedback in the logical link is higher than the QoS requirement, and (b) determining the traffic decision based on a result of the determining (a).
22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the second traffic information comprises spectral efficiency (SE) values over radio links of the RAN.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , the operations further comprising: performing the traffic decision between the UE and the second core network component in response to a triggering event.
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April 24, 2018
January 26, 2021
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